I would recommend having a local coach. They can actually SEE you and tell if you're b/s ing them on your training or if you are really giving it your all. It's tuff to look them in the eye and say you're working hard when you know you're not.

just my .02. That and local coaches usually have other people to train with. So the group guilt/mentalily keeps you getting out of bed day after day when you're dead tired.

Mr DM suggested it, to help with the flying turtle speeds. Since it was his idea, it must be ok, right?

I have always gotten my coaching through TNT. At first it was just a huge group being coached but after my first season I branched off into longer distances and fell under the HIM coach for one on one. Into my second year with the team I got more individualized attention since I A. started to listen, B. showed I progressed quickly and C. had much higher goals then others on our team. I for one have never really cared for many of my coaches until recently. I usually hold a love-hate relationship with them. I’m probably categorized as one of the worst athletes to train. If I’m given a workout I will ask a million questions as to how it will better my performance, how many I’m allowed to do is said time and what kind of data analysis can I expect from it. I will also challenge them by throwing extra equalizations in. I’m also very stubborn….I rarely listen. After my last HIM and 15 min PR I wrote my coach a letter, thanking him and saying those words I never thought I’d say “You were right.” My coach has taught me speed, endurance, moderation and efficiency. He also pushed me through my HIM and gave my run a negative split for the last 6 miles. The last 3 miles were the best and worst felt in my life and I can't thank him enough for that.

No coach here...maybe I'll see it as worthwhile for the money when I go for IM...otherwise, I'm pretty disciplined and like to plan/strategize so I do alright on my own

I have a coach and he has made a world of difference. Taught me to swim pretty much from scratch and has gotten me on the podium a bunch of times. He builds me a plan every month and then we talk every few days to see how things are going and make adjustments as needed. We have done swim sessions, track sessions and he also does bike fitting. (Yesterday I got fitted for a new bike - he spent almost 2 hours to get it perfect.) Like Kylie and her coach, we have a great relationship and at almost 70 years old I think he could still beat me. If you are interested here is his bio off the USA Triathlon site. (I hope ChunkyB does report me for spam!)

Regional Coach Bio - Alan Melvin

City: Springfield
Phone: 703-644-3140
Email: coachalan@cox.net
Years Coaching: 6 USAT Certification Level: I

Coaching
Experience: In the past six years I have helped my athletes achieve their goals which have included 27 Ironman finishes, 24 marathon finishes, and personal bests at every distance from sprint to Ironman.

Information: My goal is to make each athlete feel that he/she is the only athlete I coach. To do that I specialize in developing individualized training schedules that fit my athletes’ life schedules, and I am available almost 24/7 to support their training. My personal experience includes 3 Chesapeake Bay Swims, 17 Marathons, and over 150 triathlons. Highlights include qualifying for and finishing the Hawaii Ironman, over 40 age group wins and three times being a member of Team USA.

Get a local coach. You want someone that you can talk to at least once a month and that will answer your emails. Don't waste your money on the online-cookie-cutter-one-plan-fits-all coaching machines. You don't need a pro or an ex-pro, just lookup coaches on the USAT Coaching Directory http://www.usatcoachdirectory.com/, get a handful in your local area and start calling them. Find one you click with and start working with them.

I found a local coach via the USAT website. When I contacted him, I found out that he did 2 hour group training sessions on weekend mornings. It was $30 per session, which seemed reasonable, considering most the one on one sessions were $60+ per hour. He would only take 5 people per group, so it was almost one on one. Plus the other people thought of good questions that I didn't think of.

I was going to have him do a month by month plan, but since I ended up moving and changing my race schedule so many times, I never did. What I really wanted is someone to look at my swim stroke, and someone to ask questions for a few hours. I'm going to look for a local coach again as soon as I find out exactly what my race schedule is for the next 6 months.

Just throwing this out there since it might be something for you to consider.

I have a GoPro Hero which can be used underwater. I film my stroke and then I can watch it and see what's going on. I've also posted these videos on YouTube to send to my coach.

I think if you search, you can find one of these cameras for about $80 now.